Tag: goddess

Living at a time in which sound is everywhere and silence is scarce, our bodies and minds are reacting to an overload of frequencies every day. From the subtle hum of the refrigerator, to car engines, chirping birds, aeroplanes, our favourite songs and our own voices – sound effects us on a profound level without us even knowing. Emotions, thoughts, the body’s cells and organs, heartbeat and nervous system respond to sound, so how can we tell which sounds are healthy and which can harm? How is sound used as therapy, and can we find every-day sounds to help us heal and rebalance?

Sounds Good….

With a recent explosion in the popularity of sound healing as a therapeutic tool, and a simultaneous rise in silent retreats, it seems we’re all beginning to understand that we can use both sound and silence to enhance health on a deep level. Gong baths and sound soirees are currently the ‘new thing’ amongst wellness enthusiasts of the West, gathering in candlelit halls and lying draped in soft blankets, surrounded by ambient tones of crystal singing bowls and deep metal gongs. In a sound healing session, wither one-to-one or as a group, you can expect to experience a multitude of instruments such as chimes, shakers, rain sticks, bells, bowls, drums, and even the practitioner’s own voice. Each aspect of the session (‘sound journey’ as they’re sometimes referred to as a nod to shamanic traditions) can have leave a profound and lasting impression upon the listener, and it turns out we haven’t just ‘discovered’ sound healing, but – much like Yoga, Ayurveda, Meditation and Chinese Medicine – have re-connected with it after thousands of years.

Sound has been utilised in various cultures for as long as recorded history. Going back at least 3,000 years, the Vedic tradition of reciting mantras and hymns from sacred texts is thought to be the world’s oldest surviving vocal tradition, whilst Mesopotamian cultures considered music an art, with scriptures mentioning professional musicians and even notated music. Indeed, civilisations were writing music all those years ago, and the oldest known melody known as the ‘Hurrian Hymn’ was discovered in Syria in the 1950s, written upon a clay tablet and preserved for over 3,400 years. 3,400 years later, we’re still writing music, still developing new sounds, heading out to see music being performed, and dancing to rhythms and beats just like we have for thousands of years.

Sound Healing & Stress Reduction

Both dancing to music and listening to it have been shown time and time again to reduce stress levels, release endorphins and bring the nervous system into a more balanced and health-promoting state. This calmer state of being is incredibly helpful for reducing blood pressure, slowing breathing and heart rate, thus having a knock-on effect to the whole body and everything we do with it, like sleeping better, making healthier food choices, feeling more energised, and generally being a little more content.

Certain frequencies have been shown to be most effective at inducing different types of responses, as you may know if you’ve already taken a dive into the world of Binaural Beats. The 528 hertz frequency is known as the ‘miracle frequency’, and is thought to have a genuine healing effect upon DNA, and is the very same frequency used by genetic biochemists. Renowned medical researcher Dr. Leonard G. Horowitz goes as far as to say “528 cycles per second is literally the core creative frequency of nature. It is love”. Sound healers will often use specially made tuning forks to bring the body into a different state, and whilst an un-weighted tuning fork can emit the sound of 528 hz, a weighted tuning fork (one which is placed on the body) literally sends the vibration and essence of the sound through someone, so they can feel and experience the tone whether their hearing is optimal or not.

Sound Nutrition

Whilst the old adage ‘you are what you eat’ is something most of us have heard, we may not consider that we’re not just what we eat, but that we’re made up of each and every experience we digest each day. Other than foods, all other inputs we come across have to be ‘digested’ by the brain, body and subtle channels – every sight we see has to be taken in, processed and either kept in the brain or allowed to leave if it’s unimportant, and in the very same way, sounds have to be ‘digested’ by us too. We can think of sound as not just something swirling around us, but something that travels in, around and through us too. Just as we may think of the nutrition of our food, we can also consider the nutrition of our sound.

If we could measure sound like we do superfoods, the best kind may be the 528hz frequencies and binaural beats, but sometimes the most natural and oldest sources of sound are the most healing. Head outside and away from roads and air traffic, and you’ll begin to tune into the sounds of nature; leaves rustling in the wind, birdsong, rushing water and insects, if you live near a beach maybe it’s the waves that provide a natural sound source for you – and these are the sounds available to us that can be most healing. Published in the journal of Scientific Reports, a test involving participants listening to either the sounds of nature or manmade sounds whilst undergoing a brain activity scan, and asked to perform tasks afterwards. What the results showed were that those listening to the nature had a overall more external-focussed attention (associated with decreased symptoms of worry, rumination, narcissism and selfishness) and also a decrease in stress levels. If however, we were to decipher the toxins of the sound world, this would be 19hz, as it can elicit feelings of fear, dizziness, discomfort, possible panic attacks and blurred vision.

If you’re looking to ‘hack’ your way to health, other helpful frequencies for decreasing stress and anxiety include the barely audible 17hz (the lower end of blue whale sounds), 174hz – apparently a natural anaesthetic, 396hz, and 432hz. To experience the wonder of sound healing, look up your nearest session, and head outside for a wonder in nature to find your own free health-promoting frequencies!

Please note: None of the information in this piece is intended to give medical advice. Always consult your doctor before attempting a new health regime, and do not use this text as medical advice.

Yoga teacher and Chant Sister, Priya Shah, shares her thoughts on how to embrace the now and find time to appreciate the little things.

Walking Away from Materialism

I remember a time when materiality was a big part of my life, image was everything and I strived to earn more so that I could buy more stuff and look amazing to the outside world. I was so sure that this was the only way to find joy and happiness. I was on a huge mission to prove that I was worthy to the world. What really happened was that I ended up miserable, I had put huge expectations on myself and others and with it. It all ended up being very overwhelming and I was clearly struggling to stay grounded and connect to my heart.

Even after starting my yoga journey the link to materiality was still difficult to let go of. The endless need to buy yoga leggings, because if I was going to post on Instagram I had an image to maintain. One full of different coloured leggings and performing as many different asanas as possible. I was becoming obsessive, looking for the next bargain, wanting the next wheel, the best yoga mat and every tool out there. I was fixated on the number of likes and comments I received and less about the actual reason I started yoga in the first place.

Just under year ago I walked away from a career in finance, I had originally planned on contracting and easing my way out but one thing led to another and before I knew it I had decided to leave it all behind. I am very lucky, I have an absolutely amazing husband who is supporting me and allowing me to step up into my new life and really live my purpose.

Re-Noticing…

So how has this changed my life and my happiness? It has allowed me to really dig deep and really start unravelling the layers and walls I had built up around myself.We spend so long searching for all these things outside of ourselves when the reality is that they are already within us we just need to take the layers off to remember. At the same time it was extremely hard to go from having security to feeling as if I was free falling and there were many moments I questioned my choice. It’s at this point I started to look at my inner peace and how I could find joy from simple things.

I started to slow down when I did things, instead of rushing to finish or rushing to be somewhere I gave myself extra time. The extra time allowed me to breathe, to actually notice my breath and to notice my surroundings.Living in London it is sometimes easy to get swept up in the city atmosphere and not notice nature around us. Do you notice the sound of birds, the sound of leaves rustling, do you see squirrels gathering nuts? These were all the things I was not aware of whilst I was rushing around to do get somewhere and do something.

I make time for walks outside on most days, and I always take a moment to look up and take notice of the sounds, to allow myself to be completely in the moment. To allow myself the pleasure of seeing something new, invoking my inner child and feeling that sense of joy and wonder we felt so easily when we were young. Why is this so hard to feel now as an adult? Expectations and all the teachings we have learnt over the years, the sense that we have to be a certain way in order to be happy or even fulfilled. I have been going back to basics and unlearning what I was taught, taking responsibility for my life and my happiness.

Priya’s wonderful Mum celebrating life!

Finding Joy in the Small Things

I know we all look forward to going on holiday to get away from our day to day life but what if you could just start finding joy in your everyday? Holidays are about discovering and experiencing something new, they should just feel like a beautiful expansion on an already joyful life.

So how do you start finding joy in small things? Here are a few ideas that you can incorporate into your life quite simply:

Start letting go of expectations. I used to end up feeling so disappointed because I had so many expectations. Start celebrating moments, no matter how small they feel. Celebrations shouldn’t just be about milestones, allow yourself to celebrate yourself.

Write one thing you are grateful for everyday in a gratitude journal, you will soon see this evolve and develop into deep gratitude especially on the days that are tough.

Notice the beauty in your surroundings, can you hear the birds if you step outside?

Take time to acknowledge yourself, practice some self-love and self-care, it could be as simple as soaking your feet in some hot water with salt & an essential oil, taking a relaxing bath, or talking a nice slow walk on your own in nature.

Do something creative and fun which you enjoy. Some of the things I like to do are; baking & cooking, origami, writing, a yoga flow on my mat, mindfulness colouring. Creativity can be anything you want, it is easy to say that you are not creative but there are so many options.

Spend some time in nature, there is something so joyful about being outside and inhaling fresh air. I love to lie in the grass looking at the clouds, it takes me back to my childhood when I rolled down hills and spotted cloud animals.

Watch your favourite comedy show or movie, make some popcorn. Sometimes we all need an afternoon or even a day to just relax and do nothing.

Close your eyes when you are eating your food, take in the flavours & textures, find gratitude for how it made its way to your plate.

Allow yourself to slow down a little bit, you will be amazed by all the things you start noticing that you may have missed before.

Do not forget to smile and laugh every chance you get, hopefully doing all of the above.

It does not have to be complicated to let joy in, start small and soon you will find yourself finding joy in most of what you do.

Cerridwen. What can I say about this goddess. She is known in Welsh mythology as the triple goddess, representing the maiden, mother and the crone and associated with the moon, prophecy and our .

As outlined in my favourite oracle deck, the Goddess Oracle, her story proceeds thusly:

‘Cerridwen had two boys. One was beautiful and one was ugly. Because she wanted the ugly one to have something of his own, she made him a magical brew. The brew took a year and a day to complete and would make him inspired and brilliant. She set Gwion, her assistant, to watch the brew and bade him not to drink it. Accidentally, some drops of the brew splashed onto his hand and he put his hand in his mouth. Instantly he knew everything, including the fact that Cerridwen would seek his death. He ran away and she ran after him. After many shape-shiftings, he was swallowed by Cerridwen who gave birth to him nine months later.’

Cerridwen is both beginning and ending and her powerful elixir provides the drinker with creativity and knowledge. Tap into her energy to gain motivation to keep going, to go for what you want in your life.

Affirmation: ‘I give myself permission to let go of ____________ and to welcome in ____________. I call on Cerridwen to bestow upon me the power of the Creatrix and the confidence to step into my power knowing that as I better learn to serve myself, I can better serve others.’

If you are using a mala to recite affirmations or mantras, my Cerridwen mala is one of my most popular and was created to honour this amazing goddess. Go here to buy the mala.

Asana practice: To call on the energies of Cerridwen, I suggest asanas that allow an opening around the heart chakra. For me, this is where I feel rebirth the most as I need feel the most prepared to make changes when my heart is open (figuratively, of course!). Here are a few asanas you could incorporate into your practice this week to welcome in the new (obviously you should be working with how your body feels today, not where you want it to be 🙂 )…

Ustrasana/Camel pose

Urdhva dhanurasana/wheel

Purvottanasana/upward plank pose

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

Urdhva much svanasana/upward facing dog

Salamba bhujangasana/sphinx pose

To supporting these physically and emotionally, also consider postures which strengthen the Manipura chakra (solar plexus) such as:

Navasana/boat pose

Phalankasana/Plank pose (drawing knee to chest if that feels ok to do)

Vasisthasana/side plank

As Cerridwen is the goddess of not just rebirth but death too, take time at the start of your practice to finds stillness, to venture into the cave of the heart to see what needs to die in order for you to come back to yourself, back to your truth. Then emerge to step into some that brings you alive, that rejuvenates you to the point where yo don’t want to return to what was.

Journalling practice

Here are a few journal prompts to help you use the energy of Cerridwen to work with the cycles of death and rebirth:

What in your life feels as if it is coming to an end? How do feel about this? How does it feel in your body?

If something is coming to end, is there anything that feels as though is emerging from this space? When you sit with this, do any words, phrases, images, sounds, sensations, come to you? What are they? Write them down. Is there anything you can make sense of in this?

Is there anything going up that is crystal clear to you? If so, what is it? Can you put into words?

What now needs to be changed in order for you to step into this new way?

Be strong and know that however you want to be reborn or whatever you want to change in your life is possible. Perhaps focus on how you want to feel every day and the changes that needs to be made to ensure this.

The Wise One, the Keeper of the Dark Moon Mysteries, the Goddess of Death and Rebirth. Classical interpretations of Medusa see her as a fierce woman with snakes in her hair, turning any man to stone with just one look. Her true origins are unsurprising to anyone keen on unearthing the truths of the feminine divine hidden by years of patriarchy.

The story of the woman with snakes in her hair in fact finds its roots in North Africa. It is in these roots that we see depictions of a dark goddess with locs in her hair, not snakes. Medusa is dark moon Crone incarnation of the pre-Dynastic Egypt and Libyan Triple Moon Goddess, Neith and Anatha, respectively, and rose from the primeval floodwaters of Lake of the Triple Queens in Libya.

As Anatha, her moon sisters are the Maiden, Athena and the Mother, Metis. She is the most powerful of the Anatha triplet and was originally linked with divination, healing, magic, and death and renewal. The pouch she wore around her waist contained live snakes representing wisdom and renewal. Her face, as with Kali’s, is associated with divine female wisdom. The fearsome red mask she wears represents the power of menstrual cycles and protects the uninitiated from seeing the truth and being ‘exposed’ to her wisdom. She was destroyed by the invading Greeks and this death is a destruction of Matrifocal Amazonian way of life.

Accessing and Activating Medusa’s Energy through Mantra and Yoga

Mantra Practice: Krim. Medusa’s corresponding Hindu Goddess Kali’s bija mantra is the sound ‘krim’ (pronounced ‘kreem’). This sound is said to bring strength to any situation and to instil you with the strength and energy of Kali. We can call on Kali to access the fierce energy of Medusa to inspire and cultivate change. If using a mala to chant, envision both Kali and Medusa’s face merging into one and bring this image to the third eye at the centre of your forehead.

Asana Practice: We can activate Medusa’s energy in our yoga practice though the use of asana and breath work. Stand on your mat with your feet apart, toes face outwards, as if you are about to come into goddess pose. Bring your arms above your head as you breath in. Now forcefully exhale, sticking your tongue out as far as it will go as you bend your knees outwards so your hips are nice and open and draw your elbows into your waist. You can do this anywhere between 3-11 times – I like 9. Once you’ve completed the set, come into malasana – if you need a bock or cushion under your seat or heels, please do that – using your regular strong ujjayi breath with your mouth closed. Visualise Medusa’s serpent (what us yoga folk know as the Kundalini energy – no, it’s not a coincidence!) moving from the base of the spine upwards, curling and spiralling as it goes. Now stand up into a forward fold and allow your head and neck to dangle and release any tension. Stand up and take a few deep breaths. Continue with your practice.

Enjoy!

Helen x

PS. Did you know I also have a Medusa mala design in my shop? Pop over to the shop here to buy!

It is such a joy that Miriam has agreed to be a part of the Sisterhood! Miriam and I first met at the Soul Circus festival in August 2017 when I attended a beautiful morning meditation class that she led. I spoke to her afterwards, telling her that I was sure I had heard her name before. When she came by my stall later in the day, the penny dropped: Miriam had bought a few pieces from me back in my Etsy days…talk about serendipity! Miriam and I will be collaborating in April for a day-long yoga and mala-making workshop in Cheltenham (go here for more information!) – I can’t wait!

Miriam has written of her journey into yoga below – her writing is so beautiful, I’m sure you’ll agree!

Over to you, Miriam…

Miriam in her element!

Moving my way back to myself

‘I started practicing yoga around 2007. I’d already started delving into meditation a year or so before, and I remember the first flickers of thought and feeling around it.

Moving, feeling the body, feeling the breath, feeling transience and stillness and change in every second.

I hit some really tough spots in life over the following years, and my yoga practice became my place to slowly unravel the knots. When stress and anxiety and mental health took its toll, yoga was a way of moving and feeling my way back to the present moment.

I remember those thoughts and feelings too. Realising in Crow, or Warrior, or Wheel, that my body was not an enemy, but a friend. That my mind could be tethered back to the immediate moment, just by moving, breathing, and becoming still.

Then somehow, I stumbled across other people, moving in strange, beautiful, novel ways. Were they dancing? Was it gymnastics? Was it yoga? It looked beautiful and had no name, and it tugged inside me.

I began to play games with my practice. What if…? What if poses flowed into another, through strange and unfamiliar pathways? What if you stepped out of the confines? What would happen if you did this, or this, or that…?

Last summer I took a gamble on a retreat in Norway on “still movement”. I tried to describe it to people, it was about… movement? Stillness? Connection? Something else? I showed them the videos of these people I’d never met, yet whose bodies and thoughts had me enthralled.

For a few days, we did just that. Moved. Grew still. Asked questions. Connected. With ourselves, the landscape, each other, and ourselves again. It seemed to interweave all the threads of what I loved, finding meditative presence, mindfulness, stillness, movement, dynamism and softness all into one incredible tapestry. I came back with a shard of light deeply, deeply embedded in me.

Somehow this began to spill out. Letting that connection rise to the surface and move with its own voice. My body knew what it wanted, what it needed. Sometimes this was soft, sinuous, pressed against the floor, rolling like folds of silk.

Sometimes it was moving strong and sharp, like the branch of a tree on fire.

The more I handed myself over to it, to this practice that I still can’t really name, the more something unlocked within me. Things rose up to the surface, doubts and fears and shame and insecurities. What is this? What will people think? Am I crazy?

I kept moving through it.

The more I handed myself over, completely, more and more, old doubts and hesitations began to burn away in its energy. The fears about my own creativity, the obstacles I put in my way, slowly turned to ash. Old anxieties about my body, perceived abilities or inabilities, melted in the moments I let myself melt to the floor.

I kept moving. I keep moving. And slowly, through it, I am finding myself more like myself again.

More than I ever thought, someone who can be brave or silly or dance or dream, who can be vulnerable and hurt, and know that I can heal again.’

The next new addition to the Chant Sisterhood is the radiant Stella Tomlinson. Stella and I first met at one of my mala-making workshops and then stay in touch via social media. Stella is a highly-trained yoga and meditation teacher and it’s an honour to have her as part of the sisterhood.

Stella is a Hampshire-based Dru Yoga & Meditation teacher and writer with a passion for empowering sensitive, soulful people to release and heal from limiting beliefs and conditioning; to connect to their true, deeply soulful nature; and harness the power of their mind and inner wisdom in order to embrace life and live radiantly.
Because this is what yoga and meditation has done for her!

Stella first discovered yoga in 2000 not long after she’d moved to a new city where she knew no-one, for her first professional job in a large organisation. She was tense, anxious, self-conscious and seriously stiff and inflexible.
Yoga helped her peel back the layers of physical tension and the self-sabotaging critical thoughts and found it to be like therapy using her body and breath to reveal her soul.

And in 2009 Stella discovered Dru Yoga – and came home. She quickly fell in love with the subtlety and accessibility of Dru Yoga and its heart-opening, soul-nourishing, empowering tools to reintegrate body, mind, emotions and soul and transform your life.
Stella began teaching Dru Yoga in 2012 after completing their two year, 200-hour training, and completed a two-year Dru Meditation Teacher Training programme in 2016. In summer 2016 she left the world of paid employment to embark on the journey of being self-employed and making her living from doing what she loves: sharing Dru Yoga & Meditation.

She meditates daily and loves to chant mantra to still her mind, so she can connect to the deep inner wisdom within (which is within all of us!) to be guided by her inner knowing and intuition (having spent too many years being guided by the fretful mind!).

Stella is also a Jikiden Reiki practitioner and is currently studying Energy Emotional Freedom Technique … because she has an ever-deepening curiosity in understanding the complex relationships between the brain, our energy systems, and emotional healing.

Stella loves hugging trees, taking pictures of the sky, gazing at flowers, listening to birdsong and exploring earth-based spirituality and living in alignment with the cycles of the moon and the Celtic Wheel of the Year. She has a very large crystal jewellery collection – most recently augmented with a beautiful selection from Chant Malas!
Stella teaches weekly mindful Dru Yoga & meditation classes, soul-nourishing workshops and empowering courses in Southampton and Eastleigh in Hampshire, has been blogging since 2010 and her first book will be out in 2018.

Find out more at her website: www.livingyogawithstella.com and connect with her via Facebook (www.facebook.com/livingyogawithstella/) and Instagram (@stellasoulwisdom)

Within the realms of Ayurveda (the ancient science of life and longevity), each season carries a particular energy. Just as in life, these energies are constantly changing and moving in a natural cycle – they exist in order to support us through the year, encouraging natural changes in routine, sleeping and waking times, exercise and diet.

These energies are indeed supportive, that is, until we stop allowing them to support us, and instead work against nature (and our essential human needs). Perhaps this is why Ayurveda and many other ‘ancient’ healing arts are now demanding attention in the modern world; we’ve moved so far away from what we inherently need, that we’re now looking for ways to reconnect with nature, her cycles and a way of living and being that innately right.

Kapha
Late winter and early Spring are both characterised as Kapha season. The qualities of Kapha include heaviness, lethargy, coolness and attachment to people or objects, but also stability, endurance and a certain ‘juiciness’ and softness of the body’s tissues. Kapha is all about earth and water, and rules the synovial fluid around the joints, the mucus, the ‘building’ and expanding aspect of growth, and is the subtle aspect of strength of body and mind.

You may recognise aspects of Kapha within yourself, especially if your predominant dosha (mind-body type) is predominantly Kapha. We all have the ability to accumulate Kapha’s energy within us however, in little or large amounts. When we feel stable, strong and at-ease, we’ve probably got a good amount of Kapha within us, but when we’re congested, ‘mucusy’, lethargic and carrying excessive amounts of body weight (of which ‘excessive’ refers to what is more than your natural state, not more than the girl on the magazine cover) we’re said to have a Kapha imbalance.

Post-Christmas and pre-warmer weather then, is when many of us exhibit excessive amounts of Kapha; that feeling of abandoned new years resolutions, sluggish digestion, tiredness and leftover festive season weight. The good thing? There are an abundance of things you can do to balance your Kapha energy again, whilst celebrating and maintaining all those juicy, soft, strong aspects of Kapha that make the dosha such a loveable one.

Changing Seasons
The crossover from Winter to Spring can bring with it a host of issues – such as an influx of cold and flu, compromised digestion, and old Winter habits still hanging around. One of the important ways to welcome in Spring, is to conduct some sort of ritual around the change of season. Anything as simple as bringing fresh flowers into the home, or having a ‘Spring clean’ can help encourage the mind to move out of the depths of Winter and into the light of Spring. Once we’ve essentially told ourselves it’s Spring, and shifted our awareness and perspective, it’s easier for our habits and actions to follow suit. Keep reading for some of the most simple and effective Ayurvedic ways to balance your body and mind this Spring!

Practice A Mini Cleanse or Fast

Photo by Kaizen Nguyễn on Unsplash

Ayurveda traditionally advises fasting for a day or two per month (depending upon your mind-body type). This can help the digestive system reset and rekindle agni or ‘digestive fire’. It can also help old ‘toxins’ move through the body, so you’re almost giving your own system a Spring clean. If you don’t get along too well with fasting however (a lot of people don’t) opt for a Kitchari cleanse. Kitchari is a mix of mung beans, ghee and spices that help gently clean and clear the body, whilst still injecting daily energy into it.

Arise With The Sun

Photo by Joseph Barrientos on Unsplash

Ok, so sleeping in all Winter was great. When it’s cold and dark outside, it’s natural to want to curl up and stay in bed, but as we mover towards warmer months, it’s time to be a little bit disciplined about your waking routine, and get up early with the sunrise. The different times of day are also governed by various energies, and the time just before 6am is thought of as a ‘light’ and peaceful time of day, making it easier to wake up refreshed. Try not to hit the snooze button, as 6am-10am is a heavier Kapha time, and you’re more likely to feel tired and groggy upon waking.

Drink lemon, ginger, black pepper and warm water

Photo by rawpixel.com on Unsplash

Like a mini daily-detox for your body; the warm water helps to flush the digestive system and rehydrate the body, whilst lemon helps boost the immune system. Ginger and black pepper do the important job of firing-up digestion, and enhancing the gut’s ability to break down foods, absorb the nutrients and get rid of the waste.

Get Moving

Photo by Andrea Reiman on Unsplash

One of the best ways to balance your Kapha is to simply move. Anything that gets your heart pumping and circulation flowing is perfect if you’re feeling excessively lethargic and heavy. Enhance digestion and feelings of empowerment by focussing on core strengthening and twisting exercises, and have fun – excessive amount of Kapha can encourage low mood levels, so grab a friend and go for a jog, or dance around your living room to some up-beat music.

Add These Spices…

Photo by Akhil Chandran on Unsplash

Speaking of digestion, it’s exactly this aspect of our health that Ayurveda insists is the one to watch over most of all. When our digestion is impaired, we’re unable to absorb the nutrients from our food properly, and also unable to break it down a get rid of it properly. All of this can lead to nutrient deficiencies, low energy levels, a build up of toxins and uncomfortable bloating. Add spices like cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, black pepper and ginger to your dishes, or make a Kapha-reducing tea by adding half a teaspoon of ground ginger and honey to a cup of hot water.

Expose Yourself To The Elements

Photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash

As mentioned above – both the body and mind need to be aware that the seasons have changed in order to adapt to them properly. If you spend all of Winter inside a central-heated home, it won’t have adapted successfully to colder temperatures, so head outside for a long country walk, and let your body get to know what the weather is like today. Listen and feel in to how your body reacts to each seasonal change; do you feel tired? Uplifted? Do you have certain cravings?

Brighten Your Wardrobe

Photo by Félix Prado on Unsplash

As excessive amount of Kapha can lead to ‘dullness’ and lethargy, adding a splash of inspiring and energy-boosting colour to your wardrobe can go a long way towards enhancing your wellbeing. Colours hold particular levels of vibration and energy, and each of us will have an emotional reaction to colours, whether subtle or intense. Add some more red and violet to your palette to fire things up, as well as orange and yellow, which are uplifting, and said to revitalise the body whilst subtly improving digestive function.

Give Your Home A Detox Too

Photo by Breather on Unsplash

The Eastern art of Feng Shui recognises that the way our homes look and feel directly impacts how we feel too, and Ayurveda has it’s own type of Feng Shui known as Vastu Shastra, including the use of colour at home. As Spring is the season of rebirth and new beginnings, dedicate a few hours to clearing out any old or unwanted items you may have been holding on to (a very Kapha quality) and infuse your home with new fresh plants, lots of light, and uplifting scents.

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About Emma

Emma is a musician, therapist, published writer and full-time Yoga teacher.

Having been surrounded by Yoga and meditation from a young age, Emma has grown up with a deep interest in ‘alternative’ health, and is passionate about using her knowledge to help others.

Having graduated with a degree in music performance, Emma went on to officially train to teach Yoga with Esther Ekhart of Ekhart Yoga in Europe, and later studied in depth with Emil Wendel and Julie Martin of Brahmani Yoga in India. As well as teaching Yoga both locally in Sussex and internationally on retreats and teacher trainings, Emma is also a massage therapist and aromatherapist, and works with elements of sound healing in group and private sessions. Emma has always loved writing, and along-side her regular blog, she is also a contributor to magazines such as Breatheand Soul & Spirit, and online platforms such as Chant Malas, The Holistic Journal, Yoga Matters, Ekhart Yogaand London’s The Wellcome Collection. Her classes combine fluid, natural movement with breathing techniques, Ayurveda, philosophy, an emphasis on self-enquiry and the ability to develop deep strength of both mind and body. For her website, click here.

The worst of winter is behind us in the Northern Hemisphere; the days are noticeably lengthening; bulbs are pushing through and snowdrops are starting to poke their exquisite little white heads through the bare earth. It might still feel cold – often bitterly so – but we can sense the earth reawakening. The light is returning. Nature is stirring after her winter sleep. That mysterious life force which governs the cycles of the seasons is spreading its magic and the Wheel of the Year turns again.

We have arrived at Imbolc as February begins.

Imbolc – which has various meanings ascribed to it including “Ewe’s Milk”, “in the belly” and “to wash or cleanse” – is celebrated on the 1st / 2nd February in the Northern Hemisphere and is one of the eight Celtic Festivals known as the Wheel of the Year. These are ancient festivals and remembrances which connect back to our Pagan ancestors. Imbolc is a time of awakening. The time to reawaken from the darkness of winter and the stillness and introspection that the Yuletide season offered us.

It’s a time to begin to look forward; to make plans; to seed new hopes and dreams and visions; to allow our energies to begin to rise; to take small steps to nurture the seeds of our intentions. It’s a time to celebrate new life; hope; birth; youth; freshness. The Crone months of November to January are fading and the Triple Goddess has become the Spring Maiden once again.

Brighid’s Day

Artwork from the Goddess Oracle

Imbolc is also Brighid’s Day.

Brighid (also known as Brigid, Brighde, Bridie, Brigantia and Brigit), is a goddess and a saint and keeper of the flame. A figure steeped in mythology but who has survived and evolved, along with the faithfulness from her devotees through the ages, from the distant past through to the present day.

A perpetual flame burned in Kildare, Ireland in pre-Christian times to invoke the Goddess Brighid. The Goddess Brighid was adopted by the Christian Church as St Brigid, and it is said she founded a church and abbey in Kildare in the 5th century that continued this pre-Christian, Pagan tradition of a perpetual flame. It is said that the Brigidine Sisters kept the flame burning until the abbey was destroyed in the 12th century – some say a flame burned there until the 16th century. The flame was re-lit in 1993 by the Brigidine Sisters and still burns today.

The Goddess Brighid is central to Celtic mythology and embodies the Triple Goddess: maiden; mother and crone. She is a Goddess of many forms. Traditionally seen as the patroness of healing, poetry and smithcraft, in the myths, legends and her energy we may see and feel her as the Goddess of fire and flame; the forge and anvil; the temple and devotion; divination and prophecy; healing and sacred waters; creativity and craftsmanship; change and transformation; fertility and childbirth; and Goddess of the heart and home. Her wisdom is practical and rooted in the earth. She is multifaceted and complex – perhaps contradictory – which I feel is reflected in the many forms of her name and the many ways it is pronounced (to me her name is pronounced “Breed” but it may feel different for you). She has withstood the tests of time. She is a survivor. And we find this tenacity and hope in her association with Imbolc.

A Survival Test

For the ancient Celtic peoples, winter was a real survival challenge. Through the cold, barren months would the food stores last? Would illness weaken or kill members of the tribe? Would the animals survive through the winter? And most pressing of all, would the pregnant cows and ewes survive to produce milk and thus curds and cheese in early spring?

Imbolc was the time by which the animals would have given birth to their young and the life-giving milk was flowing. This must have brought much relief to our ancient ancestors!

One of the animals most closely associated with Brighid is the Cow – a symbol of sacred motherhood; a life-giving and life-nourishing animal. In this way Brighid is also celebrated at Imbolc as the life-giving mother.

Ways to connect to Imbolc and Brighid energy

Image by EarthFactory

This Imbolc I invite you to take a least a few moments out of your day and reflect on and connect to the energy of this sacred time.

Here are a few suggestions – but if something else calls you, listen to your inner wisdom and let Brighid guide you!

Spend time outdoors and connect to a felt sense of the energy rising and reawakening in the land.

Light a flame or fire in recognition of the returning light and the reawakening of your inner fire – and Brighid’s perpetual flame.

Cleanse your home with incense or sage or with sound by clapping, or with a singing bowl or by banging a drum. Clear out the old energy of winter and make space for the new energy of the coming spring.

If you have an altar or sacred space dress it with whites and yellows and greens – invite Imbolc energy into your space.

Light a candle and ask Brighid – keeper of the flame – to bless the candle. Sit quietly and soften your gaze or close your eyes. Meditate on or dream into what you want to birth into this world in the coming growing season – listen to the quiet whispers of your soul; let your wise and loving heart guide you. What seeds of ideas do you wish to plant and nurture over the coming weeks and months? What dreams do you wish to follow? What does your soul yearn for? Reflect on this or write it down – ask Brighid for the inspiration to create and bring forth; for the healing to release limiting beliefs which might be holding you back; and to give you the fire within to follow your passion with enthusiasm and determination.

Connect to this magical time of the year when the light returns; new life springs forth; and all seems magically possible.

Stella is a Hampshire-based Dru Yoga & Meditation teacher and writer with a passion for empowering sensitive, soulful people to release and heal from limiting beliefs and conditioning; to connect to their true, deeply soulful nature; and harness the power of their mind and inner wisdom in order to embrace life and live radiantly.

She teaches weekly mindful Dru Yoga & meditation classes, soul-nourishing workshops and empowering courses in Southampton and Eastleigh in Hampshire, has been blogging since 2010 and her first book will be out in 2018.

And this Imbolc she is beginning a new journey: beginning her training to become a Priestess of Brighde/Brigantia, in Glastonbury.